Improved railroad-iron straightener and curver



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PATENT DANIEL BOLTON, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. i

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,876, dated September 15, 1863.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL BoLroN, of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State ot' Illinois, have invented a new and useful machine for curving and straightening railway and other heavy bars of iron, which I call The Iron Straightener and Ourver, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the' saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and the letters of reference thereon marked.

The frame A A in Figure l is constructed of two'and-a-half-inch square iron forged into the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the boss B, through which passes the screw,being proportionately widened. The center block O is attached to the point of thescrew H by a the points of the small screws c a, Fig. l, holding it in position by turning lightly ina transverse groove running around the point of the screw H. This center block is shown detached at C, Fig. 5. 'Ihere axe two side blocks litting to the feet of the frame A A, one of which is shown at D, Fig. 2, in position, and at D, Fig. 3, detached, b in the last figure showing the pin by which each is kept in position on the feet of the frame A A.

E E E in Figs. l, 2, and t show the head of the screw H, and Fig. G shows the lever fitting thereon, Fig. 7, G being a section of the head of the lever. Said lever should be four and a half to tive feet in length.

The nut or boss I, Fig. 8, carrying the links K K is placed in position by removing the center block (l, passing it on the screw H, and securing it by the two nuts L L, which are turned by inea-ns of the Spanner-wrench M, Fig. 9. These links K K should be constructed of three-quarter-inch round iron.

The use of the key N is hereinafter shown.

In order that the operation of the machine may be understood, I will proceed to describe the same, taking for an illustration the bending of a railway-bar for laying a curve or the straightening of a bar which may be laterally bent, the mode of proceeding in either case being the saine. The nut or'boss I, with the links K K and the nuts L L being removed, the center and side blocks G and I) are placed in position, and the machine is laid across the bar at the desired point with the feet of the frame A pointing downward, so that the side blocks D may fit into the groove on one sde of the bar, and the center block G in the groove on the' other side. The lever F, Fig. (i, is then applied to the head of the screw II at E, and the screw turned against the bar until the same is curved or straightened as much as desired. By slightly loosening the screw H the machine may then be slipped to any other part of the bar without being entirely removed 'and the operation repeated.

The use of the links K K is designed to be chieiy the raising of vertical depressions in bars of railway-iron without removing them from their places in the track, or for straightening any curve where it lnay be inconvenient to reach the convex side ofthe saine.

Adopting the same illustration as before, the links are used as follows: The blocks U and D are removed and the nut or boss I secured on the screw H by the jam nuts L L. The feet of the frame A are then placed upon the upper surface of the bar as nearly as possible on each side ot' the depression to be raised. The links K K are then dropped on each side of the bar, and through them is passed, under the bar, the key N. By appiying the lever F and turning the screw H backward and upward the depression may be raised as desired. By loosening the screw H the machine may be slipped and the operation repeated as before. If the curve is such that the convex side only can be conveniently reached, or the shape of the bar is such that there is no groove to receive the blocks C and D, these blocks may be removedthe fiat inner surfaces of the feet of the frame A placed on each side of the concave of the curve, and the point .of the screw H forced against the convex side of the curve till the same is reduced.

For producing curvature, the operation is the same as for reducing it.

The key N, Fig. 8, should be seven inches in length, and constructed ofhalfiuch by twoinch wrought-iron.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the blocks O and D, the boss I, and 1in-ks and KK with the frame A, constructed andoperated substantially as hereinbefore described.

DANIEL BOLTON.

lWitnesses: v

Jos. Tor/LLINsoN, G. M. MGGANNE. 

